Rosalinda Maria Ruiz
by kiwichookie
Summary: "You've noticed an awful lot about her." Peter, who now resemble something more akin to a beetroot than a boy, stammered, "Y- yes, well, she's quite pretty, isn't she?" Letting out a bark of laughter, Sirius clapped him on back, knocking the boy into the wall of the train. "Aye, Wormtail. That she is."
1. Returning Home

_Welcome, welcome! This is my brand-spanking new story. I'm sure it will undergo edits, so hang in there. At some point, I will probably also post pictures of the cast, but I'll get to that when I get to it. *shrug*_

_Disclaimer: If you recognize them, they belong to JK Rowling. If you've never heard of them before, they're probably mine._

_Without further ado, read on!_

* * *

_September first has come again_. The thought entered her head accompanied by a rush of relief as Rosalinda Maria Ruiz sat in her compartment on the Hogwarts express, forehead leaning against the window pane as she watched her classmates bidding their adieus to their families. First one here. Again. Lifting a finger to rub a pattern onto the cool glass, her lips turned down. There's no one saying goodbye to me.

A banging startled her, interrupted her musings, and she turned to see Snape (The Slimy Slytherin) lugging his trunk down the empty corridor. He froze as his startled dark eyes met her light brown ones, and she nodded to him, taking in his appearance - complete with a blossoming black eye. Scowling, he nodded back, going on his way.

_The same as every year._ She and Snape never spoke, never even acknowledged each other outside of this moment, but for this brief second, when they were the only ones on the train, she could pretend that they had some sort of understanding.

A whistle blew, the sound making her whip her head back to her view of the platform. Parents, children, and siblings began wrapping up their goodbyes, and making their way to toward the train cars. Finally. The sooner she was at Hogwarts, the better.

"Rose!"

"Lily!" Moving to embrace her friend and fellow Gryffindor, Rose felt a rush of warmth and affection warming her. I missed this. It was her fifth year at Hogwarts, and it never failed to amaze her just how much she missed Hogwarts. Trying to hold back a hiss as Lily's hand hit a bruise on her shoulder, she smiled - and if her eyes were a little bright when they pulled away, Lily didn't say anything.

She knew Lily had her suspicions about her homelife - one as bright as her didn't tend to miss much - but to her immense relief, the redhead never saw fit to mention it, only the occasional tightening of her eyes and lips when she looked at her hinting at any misgivings she might have.

"Look at you!" Lily exclaimed, holding her Spanish friend at arms length and giving her a thorough looking-over. "You look amazing!"

"Me?" Rose laughed, "Look at you!" It was true. Over the summer, the already pretty Lily Evans had become even lovelier. "You've grown at least three inches over the summer, I swear!" Tall and slender, the auburn-haired beauty threw back her head and laughed.

"Something like that!" Green eyes sparkling, she lifted her trunk. "Here, help me with this, will you?" As the two girls struggle to lift the heavy trunk up onto the rack above their heads, the door to the compartment slid open with a _schlik_ and the weight of the trunk suddenly became far easier to heft.

Whirling, one pair of green eyes and one pair light brown met the bespectacled hazel eyes of James Potter. Smiling uneasily and looking a little dazed, he shoved a hand through his already messy hair. "Hey, Lils."

His speaking broke the spell. Sparks lit Lily's eyes, a well-known danger sign, as she lifted her chin haughtily. "Potter."

"Wow, Potter, gotten taller, have you?" A new voice joined them as Charlotte squeezed past the messy-haired boy.

Stepping aside to let her trunk pass, James smiled in greeting. "Just a bit," he answered. A bit? Rose mused. That's an understatement. The Chaser, who had previously been roughly the girls' height, now towered over all of them. "Need a hand?" he asked, nodding toward Charlotte's trunk,

Lily's eyes flashed. "We don't need your help, Potter," she informed him, disdain dripping from her tone. Though he tried to hide it, James' shoulders fell, and his smiled took on a slightly brittle edge.

"Actually," Charlotte's voice interrupted hesitantly, "I could use the help."

Beaming down at the small slip of a girl, James gripped her trunk and easily swung it up onto the rack as Rose hid her smile. Another black-haired giant appeared, grabbing James' shoulder and sticking his head into the compartment. "Prongs, come on! All the good compartments will be gone!" Sirius Black blinked realizing who else exactly was in the room, then turned his dazzling smile on the girls. "Hey, Evans, Clayworth." And right as Lily began to open her mouth in outrage, he turned his attention back to his friend and dragged him out into the corridor.

"I cannot believe them!" She seethed to Rose, throwing herself down onto a cushion. "They didn't even acknowledge you!"

Laughing lightly, Rose settle down across the redhead. "It's alright, Lily," she reassured her friend, "We all know James only has eyes for you."

"It's true," Charlotte agreed. "And, well. . . Sirius is. . ."

"Sirius?" Rose suggested, and Lily lifted her head to glare at her.

"That's no excuse!"

"It's okay, Lily, really," she tried to soothe her friend, her Spanish accent lilting her words. "I'm used to it.

A whistle blew, and the train began moving forward, jostling all three girls.

"It's not right!" Lily insisted. "Why shouldn't they? We've been going to school together for almost five years!"

_Yes, but I'm not like you._ Rose sighed, wishing her friend would drop it. _I'm not beautiful, or spunky, or kind. I'm not tiny and delicate like Charlotte. I'm quiet, aloof, and standoffish_. Steeling herself, she attempted a change in subject. "How was your summer, Charlotte?"

"It was good! My family decided to go on vacation to France. You would not believe how beautiful Paris is!"

"City of romance," Rose teased.

"Do the men there live up to its name?" Lily asked with a grin.

Tossing her hair over her shoulder, Charlotte answered, "Oh, they most certainly do." This statement was met by squeals and giggles all around. "Lils? How was yours?"

"It was great! You'll never guess what happened!"

"You met the Queen?"

"You decided to dye your hair black?

"You met the man of your dreams?

"Who met the man of their dreams? All three girls looked up.

"Louise!" Charlotte exclaimed.

Greeting her friends with a smile, Louise repeated her question."Who met the man of their dreams?"

"Nobody!" Lily responded. "I made prefect."

"Prefect?" Charlotte gasped!

"Of course you did!" Rose said. "It's not as if there's any Gryffindor candidates better than our Lily."

Louise frowned, confused. "But what does that have to do with men?" Her question caused them all to burst into laughter.

"Nevermind that! Where have you been?" Charlotte queried.

"Oh," the girl giggled, "I happened to run into Sirius. We were. . . erm. . . catching up."

"Catching up?!" Lily shrieked.

"That would be much more convincing if there wasn't a blush staining your cheeks right now," Rose observed.

"Well, one thing led to another, and you know. . ."

"Actually, I don't," she responded. Snogging the hottest guy in school? Of course I don't know anything about that.

"Well I do," Charlotte giggled, her hand covering her mouth as though she were embarrassed, "He is quite a good kisser, isn't he?"

"And on that note," Rose drawled to Lily, "Shouldn't you be getting to the prefect's compartment?"

Looking at her watch, the redhead shrieked and sprang to her feet, stepping on the bench to open her trunk and yank out her uniform. "Mother of Merlin! I've got to get into my robes!"

Chuckling, Rose got to her feet as well. "Wait. I'll come along to get changed." Hanging behind for a second, she turned to look at the two girls still seated as they commiserated over the power of Sirius Black's kisses with a small smile, fondness warming her. _It's good to be back._ Feeling her gaze on them, they both looked up."If the trolley comes, get me a pumpkin pasty and a bit of pumpkin juice, will you?" The girls nodded their acquiescence as Lily, huffing in impatience, dragged her away.

"What is it with you and all things pumpkin?"

"What?" She laughed as they reached the bathroom, "It's my favorite. We don't have such things back in Spain." _How is it that I've been on the train for less than an hour and I'm already feeling happier?_ "Do you know who else made prefect?"

"Not yet," her friend answered, stepping in the stall to change. "I suppose I'll find out once I get up there." She paused. "I've been meaning to ask you, are you feeling alright? You look a bit peaky."

"I'm fine." Rose answered, leaning against a sink to wait, "Just happy to be going back to Hogwarts." There was a tense, unhappy silence, and Rose was left to wonder, yet again, what exactly her friend knew about her life in Spain.

Lily stepped out of the stall, Hogwarts robes hastily on, prefect badge pinned firmly in place, a frown wrinkling her brow. "Will you be fine if I leave you here?"

"Of course, Lils, go on." Smiling, her friend gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and rushed back out into the train proper.

Locking the door behind her friend, she turned to examine her reflection. She might not be a great beauty, but there would be definite improvement once she put on her makeup. At least her father hadn't found her stash this year. The year he did, she had had to go bare-faced and wait until the first Hogsmeade weekend to replace her entire collection. If her friends ever had their suspicions as to why she arrived and left Hogwarts sans cosmetics, they had yet to comment. As always, she thanked her lucky stars that he had seen fit not to mark her face. _Good luck explaining that away,_ she thought bitterly as she applied her foundation. She tried to move a little as possible, pain issuing from her torso with every movement. Out there, she would have to move as normal and pretend nothing was wrong, but in here, with no eyes but her own, she was free to let the stiffness and the soreness show. I can brew some bruise paste once we get to the castle. She was fairly good at Charms, decent at Transfiguration, but Potions - now that was her subject. She could whip up a burn salve or a bruise paste better than even Madam Pompfrey. During the school semester, when money was needed, she even sold some of her own inventions - nothing medical, of course (no one would buy that when they could just get it from the hospital wing for free), but items such as a potion that made the drinker burp toads, talk in bubbles, or remove or temporarily dye hair were always popular sellers.

_There. Done_. Stepping back, she examined her reflection critically. She was no Lily or Charlotte or Louise, that was for sure, but she liked to think she had a certain. . . allure. Her skin, being from Spain, was naturally tan and brown even in the winter. Her hair, while not as red as Lily's or blonde as Charlotte's, was black as Potter's or Black's, fell almost to her waist in waves. Even her eyes, which she normally dubbed as Blah Brown looked pretty, now that she had enhanced them with makeup. _Too skinny by half, still._ Well, there was hardly anything to be done about that. She may have been born with the curves natural to most Spaniards, but there was no denying that a bit more meat on her bones would soften up her appearance.

_Time to stop putting off the inevitable._ Lifting her shirt, she hissed as she saw the bruise. _Surely it wasn't this bad before?_ Her back was striped with bruises from where her father had taken a belt to her, but that in and of itself wasn't the problem. Just above her hip, was a large round bruise, punctuated by a large, puffy cut. _It's getting infected_. Her father was fond of wearing steel-toed boots._ I don't think I know how to make a disinfecting potion._ Biting her lip in worry, she lowered her shirt and began to change into her school robes.

* * *

In the Marauder's compartment, Sirius was trying to cheer up a sad and dejected James, who realized that he wasn't doing too well in the "Lily department."

"Oy! Look, mate! There she goes now!" James whipped around, staring at her through the window of the closed door.

"She gets prettier every year," he remarked, morose. Nose to the glass, he stared at her as only a lovesick puppy could do. Remus, who had just returned from the prefect's meeting, was trading an amused glance with Sirius when James suddenly back from the window, morose.

"What is it?" Sirius asked. "It's your chance to watch her walk away without her hexing you, mate."

"Padfoot, her friend, the one with the Spanish accent," his frown deepened as his brain tried to supply a name, "Ruiz - she's limping."

Now, even Remus sat forward. "Rose?"

Sirius whirled, staring at his friend. "Rose?" he queried, "I didn't realize you were that close to her."

Remus frowned distractedly, waving a hand at Sirius in dismissal. "We were Potions partners second year. She's brilliant." He stood up. "Shove over, James, I want to see." Staring out the window only confirmed James' observation. "She really is limping."

Intrigued, Sirius stood up to look as well. "Huh."

"What?"

"She's got a great arse."

The boys all laughed, turning around to look again. "She does!" James remarked.

"I want to see!" Peter tried to peer around the much bigger boys to no avail. Mood broken, they all returned to their seats.

"I wonder what that's about."

"She's always like that at the beginning of the semester."

All three Marauders turned to stare at Peter, who flushed ruddily, not used to being the center of attention.

"What?" James' tone was low and dangerous, and Peter squeaked.

"W- well, that is, she's always stiff and sore and limping at the beginning of the semester. Usually she's better after the first week. I- I think she heals herself, because you can usually smell that she's been brewing on her clothes."

"And how did you come to notice this?"

Peter's ears began to turn red. "E- er, third year I accidentally walked into her, and she yelped and she looked like she was in pain. And every year she's on the train before all of us, and she's not wearing makeup, but she comes back and suddenly she is."

"You've noticed an awful lot about her."

Peter, who now resemble something more akin to a beetroot than a boy, stammered, "Y- yes, well, she's quite pretty, isn't she?"

Letting out a bark of laughter, Sirius clapped him on back, knocking the boy into the wall of the train. "Aye, Wormtail. That she is." And with that, Remus returned to his book with a chuckle, James resumed staring out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lily, and Sirius and Peter continued their game of Exploding Snap.

* * *

_And there goes the first chapter!_

_Reviews are always welcome. :)_

_Many thanks,_

_KiwiChookie_


	2. Clandestine Meetings And Clues

_Whew! Chapter two is here! This one somehow ended up being twice as long as the other, and I struggled in the beginning, but I hope you enjoy._

_Disclaimer: If you recognize them, they belong to JK Rowling. If you've never heard of them before, they're probably mine._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

The Marauders watched the sorting ceremony, although their minds all lie elsewhere - primarily, that is, on a certain curly-haired Spaniard and her mysterious injuries. The girl in question was watching the proceedings in a state of relaxed contentment, chin on hand, completely unaware that she had the attentions of the school's most popular boys.

Finally, the sorting ended, Dumbledore stood up, and silence fell. "I know that you are all very hungry," he said, blue eyes twinkling, "so I will keep this short. I would like to offer my congratulations to all those fifth year students who have now been made prefect." Beside her, Lily beamed with pride. "I offer my support to them, as they endeavor to keep the peace amongst their fellow students." Here he seemed to be looking straight at the Marauders, smiling in that gentle way of his. "Now, stuff yourselves."

A feast appeared on the tables, and the boys began wolfing their food with gusto. Rose reached for a goblet of pumpkin juice, then stopped with a hiss. _Damn. I need to make that burn paste, pronto._

"You okay, Ruíz?" A pair of grey eyes watched her.

"Fine, Black. Just hit my elbow, is all." _He doesn't appear to be buying it._ Sirius _hmphed_, but otherwise seem too preoccupied with his food to press her further.

"So, Rose," Charlotte began, scooping mashed potatoes onto her plate "You never said what you did with your summer."

"Oh, not much," she replied easily, "I just went back to Spain, tried to pass the time. Pass the chicken, will you _mami_? How was France?"

"It was beautiful! We actually got to go see Beauxbatons," she gushed to her friend, passing her the chicken.

"Did you?" Rose replied lightly, though her body tensed. _This can't go anywhere good._

"It was amazing. I'm amazed you don't go there!"

Remus, who had been listening, cut in. "Why don't you go to Beauxbatons, Rose? Surely it's closer."

"_Sí, _yes. My father, though, he is very strict. He prefers the syllabi of Hogwarts."

Louise stopped to stare at her accented friend. "You know, I think that's the first time I've heard you mention your family."

Rose's lips pressed flattened as the pressed them together, picking at the food on her plate. "Well, there is not much to tell. It is just my father and I," she told them, avoiding their eyes as they studied her.

"Really? Just the two of you?"

"Yes."

"What happened to your -" Rose stood up abruptly, cutting her off.

"_Perdón. _Excuse me. I am not feeling well. I'll see you guys in the tower." With that, she hurried away.

The remaining fifth year Gryffindors stared at each other, bewildered.

"What the devil was that all about?" James asked. He threw a roll at Lily, and she turned around to glare at him. "Oi! Lily! What's wrong with your friend?"

"Not that it's any of your business, _Potter_," she snapped back, "but I honestly couldn't say."

_I really shouldn't have left like that_, Rose thought as she walked in the direction of Gryffindor tower, feeling a bit guilty. _You'd think after all these years I would be able to lie better. _

Footsteps echoed behind her in the empty hallway, and she whirled, coming face to face with Severus Snape. She noticed absently that his black eye was gone - he must have gotten one of the older students to heal it for him.

"Oh," she said softly, "It's you."

"Try not to sound too disappointed," he sneered, walking past her.

Rose watched him walk past her, biting her lip. _He's supposed to be a Potions genius. Better than me, even._ Decision made, she ran after him. "Snape! Wait!

He turned, black eyes widening slightly in surprise. "What?"

She fidgeted uncomfortably. "Well, I was wondering if perhaps I could ask you a favor."

He stood there, studying her for a moment, trying to figure out what she could possibly want when a roar of footsteps sounded a ways behind them, and Snape looked up sharply. "Not here." He grabbed her wrist and dragged her up a stairwell, down a corridor and behind a tapestry, so that they were hidden from sight.

"I'm intrigued," he said softly, a sneer on his face, "What could a Gryffindor want with _me?"_

"I find myself in need of a disinfecting potion," she told him, eyes on the ground. "We have never covered it in class, and I need it sooner than it would take me to learn how to brew it myself."

Silence met her statement, and she looked up, absently noting that he, too, seemed to have grown over the summer, and stood tall and gaunt above her. "What for?"

She fidgeted, trying to decide if she should tell the truth or make something up. _What the hell. Might as well_. The irony that she would trust this boy, this near stranger with the truth about her life when she couldn't dream of telling the people she actually counted as friends, all based off of some misguided sense of camaraderie caused by their obviously similar familial situations was not lost on her. "Your word that you will keep this to yourself?"

"I am not the type to spread gossip, Ruíz, he snapped, crossing his arms. "Is that sufficient, or would you have me swear a wand oath as well?"

"You are a friend of Lily's, I know. That is good enough for me." She shifted uneasily. "I have a cut. It's infected."

"I surmised as much." His dark eyes were unreadable as they watched her, but surprisingly there was no judgement in them, only cool regard. "And you cannot go to the Hospital Wing _why?"_

"Madame Pomfrey would ask too many questions."

He watched her for a second, as if trying to come to a decision. Finally, he sighed and dropped his arms. "Let me see."

His request caught her off guard, and she stared at him, light brown eyes wide. "I beg your pardon?"

"I need to _see_ it," he snapped, limited supply of patience evidently already wearing thin. "So I can gauge the severity of the infection and adjust the strength of the potion accordingly."

"It- it's under my jumper," she told him uncertainly, the British word sounding odd coming out of her mouth.

"I figured as much, given that it's obviously hidden from plain view. Now hurry up, I need to get to my common room," he sneered. When she still hesitated, he softened a little. "Come on. At least it's not under your skirt."

Acquiescing, she removed her robe and turned her back to him, lifting her jumper and shirt.

A lesser man might have hissed at the sight of her bruised and battered torso, but not Snape. "Someone got you good," he murmured softly, and she jumped as she felt one of his hands lift to hold her shirt in place as the other carefully prodded the wound on her back.

"Yes," she agreed quietly, "Someone did." He released her and stepped back, and she hastily lowered her clothing and picked up her robe.

"I'll have it for you tomorrow," he told her, leaving before she could even thank him.

* * *

In the boy's dorm, the Marauders were busily unpacking for the term, when Sirius suddenly caught sight of something strange.

"Oy, Prongs! Come look at this!" Their infamous map was spread out on his bed, and he was staring at it in shock.

"What is it, mate?" he asked, sauntering over, before his eyes widened in surprise. "What the hell?"

Now Remus and Peter came to have a look, too.

"Is that - ?"

"Ruíz!"

"In the tapestry tunnel?"

"With Snape?"

James shoved a hand through his hair uneasily, hazel eyes wide behind his glasses. "What the hell would she be doing with him?"

"Maybe she's got a thing for slimy gits," Sirius snapped.

"I don't think so, Padfoot," Remus said gently. "I mean, have we ever even seem them speaking before? Or even acknowledging each other?"

"He's got a point, mate."

"She left the feast awfully quickly," he countered.

His friends didn't have a response for that.

"Come on, Pads," Peter said, laughing uncomfortably. "You saw what she's grown into over the summer! You really think she would be hiding in corners snogging _Snivellus?"_

"Fair enough. I guess we'll find out when we see her, though. She's headed this way." The boys hurriedly finished their unpacking and made it downstairs to settle in the corner of the common room just in time for Rosalinda to come through the portrait door.

"She doesn't look like she's been snogged," Peter whispered to the group.

"No, she doesn't," James returned thoughtly.

"Or just not snogged very well!" Sirius replied, making them all snicker.

_What on earth are they all sniggering about? _"Erm, are you lot all right? she questioned, wide eyed.

"Fine, fine," Sirius replied, waving a hand in his lofty manner. "Are you alright, Ruíz? You left dinner fairly quickly."

"I'm fine," she responded warily. "I just wasn't' feeling too well. I told you."

"You're not up the spout, are you?" Peter put in jokingly, his sense of humor and comedic timing, as always a little off and inappropriate. Fortunately, English not being her mother tongue, Rose didn't understand the idiom.

"Up the spout?" she asked, confused. "I'm sorry, I don't. . ."

"Never mind that," Sirius tossed an irritated glance in Peter's direction. "I hope you went down to the hospital wing!" he remarked, eyes wide, limpid, and innocent.

"Yes, I was. That's actually where I was coming from," she lied trying to sound confident and nonchalant, and Sirius' grey eyes immediately narrowed. _What do they know?_

"Were you, now? His tone was soft, dangerous.

"Yes, I was," she replied firmly. "Now, if you excuse me, I will be going upstairs to unpack and then to sleep. I'll see you gentlemen in the morning."

When she got up to her dorm, she saw that all the beds had already been claimed, leaving her one in between Lily and Louise - Charlotte, as per usual, had claimed the one closest to the window, and it was widely known that Louise wanted to be closest to the vanity, as she claimed the others "took too long", and she wanted to make it in first.

"Lily," she asked, making the redhead pause her refolding of her clothing and look up.

"Yes?"

"Peter asked me if I was 'up the spout'. I don't understand. What is 'up the spout'?"

Lily looked at her oddly and before giggling (her usual reaction when Rose didn't understand something). "Up the spout means pregnant, Rose."

"Pregnant?!" she exclaimed, a look of horror on her face. _Merlin. That boy has the strangest sense of humor._

"Yes, pregnant. Why on earth did he ask you that?"

"No reason." _Best to avoid that topic. I've been asked too many questions already._

The next morning came too early, and Rose groaned. It had been hard to sleep due to the pain that plagued her no matter how she lay, and as such she awoke stiff and grumpy. _Might as well go down to breakfast_. Yanking on her robes, she pondered her reflection in the vanity. _I'll just leave my hair as it is. I think makeup is as much as can be expected of me at this ungodly hour_.

She sat at the Gryffindor table in the mostly empty Great Hall, gulping down some orange juice and scarfing her pancakes and sausage.

"Woah, woah, where's the fire Ruiz?" a voice asked her laughingly. She looked up to see Sirius Black smiling down as he settled himself across from her, but the smile didn't seem to reach his eyes.

_Act normal. Act normal._ "No fire, just hungry." _I even managed to swallow before answering_, she thought bitterly. _Father would be proud_. "Pass the bacon, please."

He complied. "Where are all your friends?"

"Still asleep, probably."

"Early riser, eh?"

"Oh, no," she laughed. "Normally I'm dead to the world in the morning. I just couldn't sleep."

"That's odd. Why not?"

She shrugged, trying to play it cool. "What about you? Why are you up so early?"

"Easier to avoid the fanclub."

"Fanclub?"

"Yes. Fanclub." He stared at her, forkful of scrambled eggs halfway to his mouth. "You really haven't noticed? Gaggle of giggling idiots? Follow me around?"

She blushed slightly, "I had noticed, but I didn't think they were an official club."

He grimaced slightly. "They are. Have a signup sheet and everything."

"_Mierda_."

He tilted his head, looking at her oddly, a smile playing on his lips. "Er. . . Right. I'll see you later, Sirius. I want to take the long way to class."

"What class do you have?"

"Care of Magical Creatures."

"Splendid! Me too! Wait for me, and we'll walk together."

"Oh, no, it's okay -"

"Now really," he said with mock solemnity, "What kind of housemate would I be if I let you go by yourself where some Slytherin might get you?"

Realising the battle was lost, she sat back down. _Be cool, Rosalinda._ "Now, Black," she began, keeping her voice light and teasing, "what would your fan club think?"

He snorted. "Who cares! The bunch of nutters."

He finished eating as more students began to trickle in and stood up, swinging his bag over his shoulder casually. As he draped a casual arm over her shoulders to guide her, she could feel the blatant stares (and glares) of many of the girls around them. Flushing, she hunched her shoulders uncomfortably, trying to dislodge his arm, and winced at the pain the movement caused. _Wow, he really has no concept of personal space, does he?_ The thought was quickly followed by another one - _Circe, he's warm._ She could feel heat seeping from his arm and side into her torso. _What is he, a furnace transfigured into a person?_

True to his word, he began guiding her the long way down to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "Sirius," she said quietly, drawing his attention.

"Yes, love?"

"I- I know where we're going. You can move your arm."

He looked slightly disgruntled. "Oh. Apologies." Shoving his hands in his pockets, he winked at a passing blonde from Ravenclaw, who fled, giggling. "You know something I've noticed about you, Ruíz?"

She tripped over a rock suddenly, catching herself as he looked at her, startled by her sudden violent movements. "Something other than my apparent inability to walk over flat surfaces?" she remarked lightly. _Just let us get down there and class get going._

"Yes, other than that," he laughed, though there was something off in his eyes.

"Tell me, then," she replied.

He looked at her with the same slight smirk he always wore, grey eyes gauging her. "Your accent gets thicker when you're flustered."

_Someone thinks they're observant_. "It's possible. I know my English tends to slip when I am tired, for example."

They were getting close. "Like earlier, at breakfast? You said something in Spanish."

"Yes, like this morning."

"What does it mean? What you said."

"'_Mierda'_?" She flushed a little. "It means 'shit'."

A laugh like a bark sprang out of him, startling her a bit. "Really? That's brilliant!"

"Excuse me?"

"I didn't know you swore at all, but all this time you've just been doing it in Spanish!" he laughed. "Oh, that's just _too_ good. You have to teach me."

They were interrupted by Professor Kettleburn clapping his hands and telling them to group off. Smiling apologetically, he went off towards his Marauders.

"That's new," Remus murmured to James.

"Working on a new one?" James asked Sirius, leering goofily.

"Oh, _lord no, _mate!" he said, giving him a playful shove. "I saw her at breakfast and we walked down together, that's all."

"Oh, is _that_ what happened?" Remus laughed.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, Padfoot. Just that she looks dead chuffed to have been subjected to your company." The boys all turned to stare at her. Sure enough, there was a slight frown and a distinctly uncomfortable expression on her face as she made her way toward her friends. Louise, catching Sirius staring in her direction, smiled prettily and twiddled her fingers in his direction, and he blew her a kiss back.

His friends rolled their eyes and returned to the tasks set upon them by Kettleburn, but as he turned back around, James froze suddenly and grabbed his arm. "Snivellus just threw Ruiz a note," he hissed.

Sirius whirled, eyes narrowing. She had taken advantage of the opportunity of her groupmates being distracted to open the note. It must have been short, for she only studied it for a second before crumpling it and shoving it in her pocket. They watched as she slowly deliberately looked over, made eye contact with Snape, and gave a short nod.

"Did you see that?" Sirius hissed to James.

"I did, Pads. What the bloody hell is that all about?"

"I have no idea," he said, a hint of menace in his tone, "but we're going to find out."

Remus, on the other hand, rolled his eyes. "Come on, you two. Why do you even care what she's doing with Snape?"

The two boys stared at him, aghast. "It's Snape!" Sirius exclaimed.

"So? Lily's friends with him and you don't give a toss."

"We do too!" James protested.

"We just know better than to question it by now, even if it probably means she's mental, especially as James wants to take her to Hogsmeade by Christmas," Sirius said, "And she isn't snogging him."

James looked horrified and slightly nauseated at the idea, which he had clearly never considered before. "Merlin, you don't think she's - "

"You don't know that she _is_ snogging him!" Remus snapped at his friend, ignoring James' outburst.

"They were in the tapestry tunnel, Moony! We all know what people do in the tapestry tunnel!"

"Which 'she' is it that we're talking about, gents, I'm starting to get a little confused," James put in.

"And how do you know that?" Remus snapped.

"Because that's what _I_ go there to do!"

"What do you care who she's snogging anyway?"

"Gents - "

Sirius looked at him as if he had suddenly sprouted another head. "It's _Snivellus._ She's a Gryffindor. It would be completely and utterly wrong."

Exasperated, Remus threw his hands up in defeat. "I give up."

"Gents, you weren't talking about my Lilyflower, right?"

Remus, Sirius, and Peter all looked at each other and broke out guffawing.

A bit away, Charlotte looked to Louise. "What do you suppose they're laughing about?"

"I have no idea," the brunette shrugged. "Probably don't want to know."

"True enough," the shorter girl laughed.

Class was dismissed, and Rose headed back toward the castle with her friends. Distracted, she put her hand in her pocket as she bit her lip, fingering the note once more. It was terribly unlike her to have clandestine meetings - _in a lavatory, no less! - _but she supposed that under the circumstances it couldn't be helped. _Second floor girl's lavatory. Before dinner._

The Marauders, now well and truly intrigued, continued to watch her throughout the day whenever they had classes together, going so far as to make sure they were seated behind her in Potions, the last class of the day. Rosalinda, for her part, did not seem to notice, given her apparent distraction - another thing that was a mark against her, Sirius claimed.

"Look at her! She's been distracted all day," he hissed to James, who was at the same workbench as he. "I'm telling you, mate, she's up to something. I know how girls get, and to me she looks like a girl anticipating a late-night rendezvous for a snog-a-thon."

Remus, at the desk behind them with Peter, shook his head bemusedly. "You guys are nutters."

So caught up were they in their contemplations, that it turned out to be Peter who discovered the next clue to their puzzle.

"She's just put an ingredient in her pocket!"

The boys turned, staring openly, before Remus clipped both Sirius and James on the head. When they whirled on him, mouths agape in outrage, he merely looked at them and hissed, "Discreetly, gents." As stealthily as a group of teenaged boys could, they watched her. The raven-haired girl appeared to be casually looking through the student stores of ingredients, but every now and then she would glance around to check if anyone was looking, and slip a vial into the pockets of her robe. Finally, she stuck her hands in her pockets, presumably to stop the glass vials from clinking, and strolled back to her seat.

James blinked. "You know, she's actually rather. . . good at that."

"She is, isn't she?" Remus said,

"So the quiet, mousy Rosalinda Ruíz has secret talents in burglary. Who knew?" Sirius murmured rhetorically.

The bell rang, and she scurried out of the class before anyone had time to react. Evidently she had already cleaned her station.

_Bathroom, bathroom._ _Second floor_. Her legs burned from climbing the stairs so quickly, but she was determined to make it during the thick of the student traffic, when she would be paid less attention to. _Made it_. No one would disturb her here, she knew - the ever-present Moaning Myrtle made certain of that. Huffing in relief, she took a shrunk cauldron out of her bag and resized it. _Once again, prior planning pays off. _Setting out her stolen ingredients, she spun around, wand out and at the ready.

"It's just me," Severus said, edging into the bathroom.

"Did you bring it?" she asked breathlessly, still a little winded from her sprint up the stairs.

He pulled a vial out of his pocket and held it aloft, so that she could clearly see the contents.

She sighed in relief, stretching out a hand to take it. "Thank you."

He didn't let go. "You owe me," he told her, voice quiet but strong.

_Well, I should have expected that, especially from a Slytherin,_ she thought uncharitably. "I owe you," she agreed.

Still, he hesitated."What?" she snapped, starting to become aggravated. The open wound _hurt_, and this boy was dilly dallying and delaying her relief.

"The spot. . . It's on your back. . ." It was the first time she had actually seen him look awkward or uncomfortable - or anything other than mean and vicious, come to think of it.

"Yes, so?"

"Are you sure you'll be able to reach it?"

She stared at him. Surely he wasn't offering -

"Because I don't want to have to brew another batch of this stuff for you just because you didn't get it all the first time!" he told her gruffly.

She mentally rolled her eyes. Just like a Slytherin, to do something kind and cover it up by saying something rude. "Fine." _Well, it's not like he didn't see this just yesterday_. _Funny. If anyone told me that I would half-way disrobe twice in two days for Severus Snape, I would have sent them straight to Madam Pompfrey. _Turning, she lifted her shirt again, flinching slightly as his hands came into contact with her skin as he applied the thick salve to the cut.

"You didn't have to say yes," he snapped at her defensively.

"Your hands are just cold," she told him quietly.

He paused, staring at her oddly, and she felt the salve start to grow warm and sink into her skin. He stepped back, wiping his hands on his robes. "Done. It's working." He gestured to the mirror. "Go ahead."

Stepping across him to look, she gasped in surprise, and saw his reflection smirk as something akin to pride flickered across his feature. The wound was not only pus-free and no longer puffy, but was closing before her eyes.

"You're very good," she told him, lowering her shirt. "Thanks."

He shrugged awkwardly, dismissing her, and looked over to her facsimile of a potions lab. Studying the ingredients, he guessed, "Bruise salve?"

Hugging herself defensively, she nodded wordlessly. _He already knows too much._

"For the rest of your back?"

She nodded again.

"Good." And with that, he left, leaving her to her brewing. _After I finish the mixing, it still has to mature for a day, but that's better than nothing_.

* * *

Several levels higher in the castle, four pairs of eyes glared at two tiny dots on a map.

"They left separately," Remus noted absently, "They weren't there for very long."

"Could have been a short snog," Sirius snapped.

"I doubt it was a snog at all, Padfoot. Come on. It's Snivellus."

When Sirius didn't respond, Remus rolled his eyes and stood up.

"Where are you going?" James asked.

"To do the sensible thing. Get up." Three heads popped up to look at him.

"They're both gone, right?" he asked, gesturing to the map. "We can look for clues. And if all else fails, that's Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. We'll ask her."

* * *

_Dum, dum, dummmm! That's a wrap for me tonight, folks! It's 1:30 am, and I am bleary-eyed as can be. I'm amazed I stayed awake long enough to do a rudimentary edit and get this up!_

_Reviews are, of course, appreciated._

_Many thanks,_

_KiwiChookie_


	3. Discovered Secrets

_Here we are again, my_ _lovelies. This one's not as long as the last one, but I hope you enjoy it __nonetheless._

* * *

"Ow!"

"What?"

"You stepped on my foot!"

"Shush you two, you'll get us caught!"

"Blame Peter," Sirius grumbled, "He's the one who stepped on me."

"I can't see you, Sirius, you're disillusioned."

"Well, we don't all fit under Prongs' cloak anymore, do we?" he snapped back.

"Shut up!" Remus snapped, "We're almost there and you lot are going to get us caught!"

Considering their lack of stealth, it was a miracle indeed that the four marauders made it down the the second floor girl's lavatory without being discovered. With a flourish, James removed his invisibility cloak, and the other three Gryffindors removed their disillusionment charms. Stepping further into the room so as to avoid being seen by the casual passerby, it became immediately obvious that their biggest clue to the secrets of one Rosalinda Ruiz lay tucked away in the corner.

"Is that a brewing station?" Peter asked.

"Looks like it to me, mate," Sirius replied.

A giggle disturbed the silence. "Oooh, I knew it wouldn't be too long before she got caught!" Moaning Myrtle's hazy form floated over a stall, drifting down to land in front of Sirius. "All that cavorting with rude little boys," she said, blowing Sirius a kiss, "It's a wonder she hasn't been caught before!

"Myrtle, what do you mean, cavorting?"

She poked James in the chest, one icy finger going through his heart. "Why don't you ask her who she's been lifting up her shirt for?" She cackled.

"_What?" _Sirius yelped.

"Oh, yes," she said, a grin on her transparent face, "got quite the strange choice of friends, does your Gryffindor."

"I knew it!" Sirius snapped."Lifting her shirt! The slag!"

"Sirius!" Remus snapped. "I daresay you're not in a position to insult girls lifting their shirts, considering the sheer quantity of girls who do so for _you. _Besides," he turned back to the young ghost, "Myrtle, you said strange choice of _friends_. Friends?"

"Yes. . ." she pouted and crossed her arms, her attempt at causing mischief coming up short.

"Did they do anything. . . inappropriate?"

Hey eyes rolled skyward as she pretended to think. "I suppose that depends on your definition."

"How on earth could she be taking of her clothes for that slimy git and that _not_ count as inappropriate?" Sirius snapped at Remus, frowning.

"Just wait a second, Sirius. I've got a theory." Frowning in contemplation, he asked Myrtle, "Did they kiss?"

She pouted further. "No."

Crossing the tiled floor, Remus knelt by the cauldron to examine the contents. "These ingredients. . . I think she's brewing a bruise paste."

"Bruise paste?" James asked. "Blimey mate, what would she need that for? She could just get some from the infirmary."

Myrtle cackled. "Ah, but the infirmary asks question, they do."

James frowned at Remus, as he appeared to be the man with the answers. "Why would she be trying to hide bruises, mate? And what would that have to do with Snivellus? I'm not doubting you mate, but it just doesn't make sense."

"Doesn't it?" Remus stood up, gesturing at the potion's set lying on the stone floor below him. "Someone's been brewing potions. What do we know about Snape?"

"So you think Snape's brewing healing potions for her?"

Remus shrugged. "It's possible."

"She's brilliant at potions."

Three heads turned to stare at Peter.

"What?" Remus asked.

Peter flushed "She- She's brilliant at potions. She wouldn't need Snape to help her with something as simple as a bruise paste."

"Simple, eh? Let's see you whip one up, Wormtail!" Sirius nudged the smaller boy playfully, making him flush ruddily.

Remus began to pace, frowning as he tried to work the problem over in his head. "It has to be something to do with this. I'm convinced. The most obvious answer is usually it." He stopped, turning to Myrtle. "What _exactly_ did they do while they were here?'

Myrtle huffed, irritated. Her mischief was over. As much as she might enjoy causing the occasional bit of strife, she was not a liar. "He was helping her."

"Helping her with what?"

"Disinfecting potion. Didn't know how to brew it, she said."

"And why did she need it?" Remus asked.

Myrtle giggled, wriggling as close to Sirius as she could without passing through him. "All beat up, she was. Had a nasty cut on her back that she couldn't reach."

Sirius stared at the girl, alarmed. "Beat up?"

She nodded, simpering at him. "Oh, yes. Completely black and blue, neck to waist."

"Does this happen often?" Remus asked her.

The phantom student shook her head. "Only when she comes back from holiday. She brews in her at the beginning of every term, unless she stayed here."

"So this happens at home," Sirius frowned. _I had no idea. _

"She _does_ stay here over the holidays," Peter piped up.

Sirius frowned at him. "You do seem to know quite a bit about this girl. Got a crush, Wormtail?" Peter flushed, but didn't answer him. "Let's go, gents. I think we know what we need to."

Donning their respective means of camouflage, the boys made their way back to Gryffindor tower.

"If she really is getting beat up at home, why wouldn't she say anything?" James asked, flopping on his bed.

"I don't know, mate," Remus responded. "Maybe she just never really felt like she _could_, you know? Think about it, how well do we actually know her?"

Sirius sat on his bed, glaring at the floor as he silently removed his shoes and tossed them on the floor.

"Granted we're not the best of friends or anything, but if she was being abused, wouldn't she have told _someone?_" James queried.

"No." The word came out of Sirius' mouth like a shot, and the other boys turned to stare at him. He looked sullenly back at them. "She wouldn't have said anything."

"How do you know?" Remus asked, as gently as he could. They all knew Sirius' home life was far from pleasant.

"It's not -" he swallowed roughly, a rare display of discomfort from the usually self-assured boy. "It's not something you talk about freely. Not if you have the least bit of pride. And quiet and mousy as she may come off, she's a Gryffindor. If she's suffering, she'll have kept it to herself."

Remus nodded. Abused, he was not, but he knew a bit about suffering nontheless. "I agree. And it would certainly explain some of her oddities, wouldn't it?"

"Like that business of running off as soon as we asked about her family."

"Exactly that."

"But why Snape?" James asked.

Oddly enough, it was Peter who seemed to have the answer for this. "Well, they're comrades of a sort, aren't they?"

"What do you mean?" James asked.

"Well think about it. We already know Snape's always on the train before anybody else. And if you think about it, Rose is too. You never see her board it, yet somehow she's always there, so she must get there really early. They'd see each other, and know that they were both there by themselves. Nobody sees either of them off, or we'd have seen it." James nodded thoughtfully, and Peter rushed on, pleased to have the other's ear for once. "Plus, if you delve a little deeper, you don't get a charming, winsome personality like Snape's with a happy home life. And we already know he has no friends.

"So if you were Ruiz, and yes, you have friends, but no, they don't know your deepest darkest secret, and you don't _want_ them to know, so you can't exactly ask them for help even if you need it, and you have some sort of. . . mutual respect and acknowledgment of the fact that you're in similar situations with another person, and you know he's not going to spread in around because he's in the same boat - well, you can kind of see why she would have gone to him and not, say, Lily, even though she's equally brilliant at potions as Snape."

"You know, when you put it that way, Wormtail, I suppose it _does_ sort of make sense," James responded.

_I'm in a similar boat_, Sirius thought. _She could have turned to me. _A new thought entered his mind, and his head jerked up in horror. "I should have seen it."

"Padfoot, you can't - "

"No mate, when I went down to breakfast the other day, she was up early. She said she couldn't sleep." His mouth twisted bitterly. "Well, it _is _hard to sleep when you've had the crap beat out of you. And she was stiff. Her gait was off. And then, when I put my arm over her shoulder, she flinched. I thought it was just that she thought I was flirting, but it seemed a bit much even for that. She shrugged uneasily under the weight of my arm, and was as eager as can be to get me away from her."

His friends exchanged uneasy glances.

"Padfoot - "

"I'll see you in the morning." And with that, he shut the curtains around his bed shut with a yank.

* * *

The next morning, Rose woke up early. Showering and getting ready as quickly as she could, she quickly donned her school robes and made her way down to the lavatory. _My paste should be ready_. Checking the colour, she smiled happily. _Perfect_. Shucking off her robes, she scooped it straight out of the cauldron and began rubbing the paste into her stiff and aching back.

_Much better_. The cooling sensation immediately went to work, and she rolled her shoulders in relief. Warmth followed a moment later, the feeling seeping down into even her bones. The warmth grew almost alarmingly, until the sensation finally just vanished. Knowing that meant that the potion had done its work, she began shrugging back into her uniform. Covering and shrinking the cauldron, she placed it carefully in her bag and made her way down to the Great Hall. _Breakfast should be starting in a moment._

No sooner had she sat down than a familiar black-haired boy sat across from her.

"Early riser again today, eh Ruiz?" he asked nonchalantly.

She shrugged and began to pour herself some orange juice, more confident now that she was no longer in pain. "Evidently so."

"Your accent isn't as thick this morning as it was yesterday," he told her, beginning to load his plate. "Toast?"

"No, thank you," she said, stabbing some sausage with a fork. "I'm not as tired, I guess," She laughed as Sirius yawned. "Not a morning person?"

"Not really, no."

"Ah, the price one pays to be famous."

"I'm not sure I would say I'm quite. . . famous, yet."

She put down her orange juice, spluttering and laughing as he smirked. "Yet?"

"With this face? It's only a matter of time."

"Not at all full of yourself, are you?"

He shrugged. "I just like to think I'm honest with myself."

She snorted. "Or big-headed."

He put his hand to his chest, feigning hurt. "Don't you dare say that about my head! It's the perfect size for my body!"

The black-haired girl grinned. "Whatever you say, Black."

As she dug into her food, she became increasingly aware of the fact that Black appeared to be watching her. Not blatantly, but rather surreptitiously out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey, you two!" Louise walked toward them and sat down beside Rose, grinning at her and tossing Sirius a wink.

"Hey yourself, Louise," he said, smirking saucily at the pretty brunette. "Doing well?"_ And just like that, I vanish, _Rose thought uncharitably.

"Can't complain," Louise replied. "Although I did have a spectacularly good train ride. How about you?"

Sirius' reply went in one ear and out the other, his flirtatious tone drifting over her head as Rose frowned. _I had forgotten they snogged on the trip up. _She wasn't sure what to think about this. Sirius' conquests were all soon over, and she wasn't particularly sure that she wanted Louise to meet that same fate. _He's a dog,_ she thought waspishly. _Probably snogged at least five other girls on the same trip._

Then again, why wouldn't he be sweet on Louise? Studying her friend, she could see the appeal. Louise was very pretty, her brown hair warmed by an undertone of red that complimented her blue eyes. Full lips that were quick to both smile and pout graced her face, and a light flush seemed to always sit upon her cheeks. Her petite stature only served to reinforce her feminine graces, and her small frame made her appear more delicate than even Charlotte.

She wasn't bitter. She knew the differences between herself and girls like Louise. And Louise was as sweet as they come - she did love her. _It just is what it is_.

With a sigh, she excused herself from the table, the flirty banter making her feel awkward. Making her way back to the common room, she smiled slightly to herself. _At least someone's having good luck in the man department._ Her father would kill her if he ever found out she dated anyone, but she was firmly of the opinion that what her father didn't know wouldn't hurt him. _Or me._

_Maybe they'll end up going to the ball together, _she thought. At Hogwarts, a Christmas Ball was held every other year, and this year was its turn. It was also the first year they would be permitted to go, being fifth years, and as such, all the girls were terribly excited_.They would look very good together. Assuming they last that long_. After all, it was only September, and Christmas was a fair few months away.

She made it just to the portrait when Lily and Charlotte stumbled out, looking bleary-eyed and sleepy.

"Hey, Rose," Lily greeted sleepily.

"Morning," she returned dryly.

"Coming down to breakfast?"

"No, _gracias. _I've just been."

"Ok," the redhead returned, "see you in arithmancy." Charlotte, clearly too asleep still to even be upright, just waved in her general direction as the two girls left for the Great Hall. Giggling, Rose stepped into the common room. The first few days of being back at Hogwarts had passed without trouble, and though it was her OWL year, she was looking forward to getting back into the swing of school. Sleepy dormmates, overly flirtatious Sirius, James getting on Lily's nerves, even odd Snape - it was all a part of what made Hogwarts home to her.

* * *

_Another chapter down._ _I did struggle with this chapter for some reason, so I do hope it turned out alright._

_Reviews are my bread and butter. :)_

_Many thanks,_

_KiwiChookie_


	4. The Trip To Hogsmeade

_We meet again! As I was off today, I worked on a new chapter. I'll be honest with you - I don't like this one. Hopefully I'll go back over it and get it edited until I do like it sometime soon, but until then, it shall have to stay like this._

_I want to get as much done as I can before school starts again in August._

_Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Recognizable characters belong to JK Rowling, yada yada yada._

* * *

Saturday morning found Rose in the library, doing research for her Arithmancy homework. As she sat at the table, reading _Numbers & The Magic Behind Them_, a gently cleared throat interrupted her. Startled, she looked up.

"Oh, hello, Remus," she greeted with a smile.

"Hi," he responded. "Mind if I sit here?"

"Oh, no," she said, gesturing toward the empty chair across from her, "Please, go ahead."

The sandy boy smiled in apparent relief and sat down across from her, and she returned to her studies. As far as the Marauders went, Remus was the only one she was on a first-name basis with, probably owing to the fact that he was the kindest and gentlest of all of them. Glancing at him, she found him staring at her.

"What?" she asked the sandy-haired boy, "There is something on my face?"

"No," Remus responded softly, fidgeting.

"Remus, what is it?" _Why is he staring at me with such sad eyes?_

When the blue-eyed boy responded, his voice was even softer. "I couldn't help but notice. . . You- your limp is gone."

Rosalinda froze. _No._ "I don't know what you mean," she told him, beginning to shut her book in preparation to flee.

"Rose, you don't have to hide it. I'm not going to judge you," he gazed at her, blue eyes sorrowful as he swallowed, bracing himself for his next statement. "I - I know what it's like to have a secret, to worry about what people think. Whatever it is, you can trust me. I want you to know that."

Rose held his gaze, relaxing infinitesimally - and for a moment, Remus thought that he had gotten through to her. Then her brown eyes snapped cold, and she rose. "I don't have any secrets, Lupin." Thinking back to what he had said about his own secrets, her gaze softened slightly, and she swept out of the library.

As she made her way to the Great Hall for lunch, she found herself feeling a bit guilty. _Perhaps I came off a bit too strong_, she thought. _He was only trying to be kind, and I reacted coldly. I haven't called him by his last name since first year._ Grimacing slightly, she wondered what to do. She didn't want to toss aside her friendship with Remus - he was a kind, gentle boy, especially when compared to the buffoons he kept as friends, and she did genuinely like him.

Going to the owlery, she pulled out a spare bit of parchment, scribbled something on it, attached it to the bird's leg, and sent it off.

Setting off to go eat lunch, she smiled to herself. _Perhaps that will do the trick._

"Rose!"

Turning, she greeted Lily and Louise with a smile. "Finally awake, are we?"

Louise grinned. "_I've_ been awake hours, I'll have you know," she told the Spanish witch, "but Mrs. Sleepyhead over here can't imagine a Saturday that actually includes the first half of the day."

Rose giggled, and Lily tossed her hair over her shoulder haughtily, though she was smiling. "We can't all be naturally gorgeous. _Some_ of us need our beauty sleep."

Rose snorted. "Oh, please, Lily. You're the least in need of beauty sleep girl I've ever met."

"Well what about you?" Lily said as they reached the door to the Great Hall. "You've grown into a stunner over the summer - don't think I haven't noticed!"

Whatever Rose was about to respond was cut off by a certain grey-haired boy as he slung a flirtatious arm around Louise. "Morning, loves," he said, grinning as per usual.

Louise smiled back up at him, prompting Lily to look at Rose with raised eyebrows. _What is that about?_

"Going to sit with us?" Sirius asked Louise, who giggled and nodded in reply.

_Oh, no, _Rose thought, as the group made their way over to where the rest of the Marauders sat, already waiting.

Sitting down across from James so that Lily wouldn't have to, she purposely avoided Remus' gaze.

"Good morning, my beautiful Lilyflower," James greeted, loftily as ever.

"Shut it, Potter," she snarled back. _Yikes, more aggressive than usual. Must still be half asleep._ Rose's suspicion was confirmed a moment later when the redhead moaned, "What's a girl got to do to get some coffee around here?"

James looked ready to respond with what would no doubt be a very seedy, sleazy answer, but Remus shook his head at his friend, who snapped his mouth shut. No sooner had this happened then a large, steaming mug of coffee appeared in front of Lily, who looked at it in sleepy, confused happiness before picking it up and burying her face in it.

"So, mate, have any plans about that Halloween party yet?" Sirius asked James, his mouth full.

"Probably just in the common room," the boy in question responded.

"Costumes?"

"Of course!"

This was quite funny, really, when you considered that a few years back, being both purebloods, the boys had no idea that Halloween in the Muggle World consisted of dressing up in outlandish costumes and going on the search for candy. When they were informed of this, they found the practice hilarious in all the right ways and took to it like a fish took to water. As such, every year they had taken to throwing huge Halloween parties in the Gryffindor common room, where all manner of debauchery took place.

An owl swooped down to land in front of Remus, holding out its leg as it stared at him with regal eyes.

"Got a letter, Moony?"

"That's strange, normally post comes in the morning," Lily said, frowning.

Shrugging, Remus removed the letter, and the owl took off again as James stared after it. "That was a school owl," he said, proving that Lily wasn't the only one capable of critical thought.

Rose stared steadfastly at her plate as he opened it. Studying it carefully for a moment, a small smile appeared on his face. and he stuffed it into his pocket. A feeling of relief spread through Rose, and she met Remus' eye, a small crooked smile on her face. He nodded at her, and the other stared between the two, stares of blatant confusion on their faces.

Rose flushed and went back to her lunch. "So, Louise, what were you planning on being this year for Halloween?" she asked, hoping to distract the group.

Louise shrugged, "Not sure yet, but we'll have to go shopping Hogsmeade weekend," she smiled. Hogsmeade weekend trips were always a highlight of the school year, although this year that title was likely to go to the Christmas ball.

"When is the first Hogsmeade weekend?" Rose asked Lily, who as a prefect, was responsible for organizing the trips.

"Not for a couple weeks," the redhead responded. "We wanted to give everyone a chance to get settled in first."

"Lily - " James started, no doubt planning on getting a jump on asking Lily to accompany him to Hogsmeade.

Lily, too, seemed to suspect this was his plan, for she cut him off grimly, steadfastly ignoring him. "Do you think you'll end up going with anyone, Rose?"

Rose shrugged, hiding her amused smile at the crestfallen look on James' face. "Not really, no."

"Ah, no one's caught your eye yet, Ruiz?" Sirius asked teasingly.

"No, I've been too busy - what was the phrase you used, Lily? - too busy 'getting settled in'." she responded.

"I'm sure someone will ask you," Remus said reassuringly.

"They had better not!" Louise interjected hotly. "We've got to go shopping!"

"But the party's not for over a month!" Peter replied, looking a bit confused. Rose giggled. _Poor boy. He just doesn't understand the ways of women._

"Exactly!" The brunette snapped back. "We've got just enough time to get everything perfect!"

Lily nodded thoughtfully. "It wouldn't be a bad idea for us to pop into Gladrags and see what they have in the way of dress for the ball, either."

Rose stared at her. "The ball isn't until Christmas, Lils."

Lily stared back, as if what she had proposed was the most natural thing in the world. "I know."

"It's only September!"

"Lily's right," Louise told her. "We've got to start getting some kind of idea as to how we want to look. There's color, style, makeup, hair, and shoes to consider!"

Rose groaned and dropped her head dramatically on the table in front of her, her long her falling forward to cover her face, prompting the other two girls to giggle.

"I swear, Rose, you are the least girly girl I've ever met." Louise said.

"That's not _quite_ true," Lily replied, "she does wear makeup now."

"Which I thoroughly blame you two for." Rose responded, snarling playfully.

"Oh, dear, you should be thanking us!" Charlotte interjected as she sat down next to Lily. "After all, look how gorgeous you are!" She grinned. "Boys, isn't she gorgeous?"

The four boys at the table looked distinctly uncomfortable, and Rose hastened to change the subject. "Where have you been, Charlotte? You're rather later than usual."

Charlotte flushed and mumbled something under her breath.

"What?" Lily asked. "Didn't catch that."

Charlotte huffed and said more loudly, "I was with Barnabus Lott."

Seven pairs of eyes stared at her blankly, before the three girls burst into squeals, congratulating her. Barabus Lott, despite having quite the unfortunate name, was widely considered to be one of the best looking boys in the school - giving even the Marauders a run for their money. A year older than them, he was a tall boy, built from his years on the Ravenclaw quidditch team, with dark brown hair that brought out a startlingly blue pair of eyes.

"When did that happen?"

"Just this morning," she said, happily tearing into a roll. "He approached me out by the lake, and asked me if I would like to go to Hogsmeade with him, when we finally did start going."

Louise squeaked shrilly. "But that's so far off!"

Charlotte nodded. "I know. That what I told him. I said why wait? We could start off with a walk around the grounds." She grinned devilishly. "Only we didn't end up doing much walking, if you catch my drift."

"That means we'll be one down for our shopping trip," Louise frowned.

"Oh, I'm sure I can get some time away," Charlotte said, shrugging.

Lunch came to an end amidst many sighs of envy over Charlotte's good luck, and as the weeks past she and Barnabus became quite the couple, only surpassed by Sirius and Louise. September drew on, and although Rose was aware of the strange attention the Marauders paid her, she mentally shrugged. If they, like Lily, suspected anything, they were keeping it to themselves - which was just how she liked it.

She began brewing whenever she had a moment, and her side business of selling joke potions began to take off - just as well, as she would need money to both buy a Halloween costume _and _a dress for the ball.

In mid September, it was time for the Hogsmeade trip. Louise went with Sirius and Charlotte accompanied Barnabus, leaving Lily and Rose mostly on their own. Lily had, of course, been asked multiple time by James, but had turned him down each time.

"I don't understand how you're not freezing!" Lily complained to Rose, who just shrugged in response.

"Don't be silly, Lily. I'm a witch - I have warming charms to keep me warm." While her school robes might have been acceptable, when she donned her own personal clothing, it became obvious that her wardrobe was somewhat lacking. It wasn't that her family didn't have enough money to buy good clothing - far from it. While they were definitely still middle class, her father lived comfortably on the money he made from the small cafe the family owned - he just didn't care enough to go shopping with her to buy new clothing, and was far too tight-fisted and stingy to just give her money so she could do it herself. And while she did make tips from working in said cafe, most of it went toward school supplies and new school robes (since they got worn the most anyway), and the small remainder was spent on the potion's ingredients she used in her joke products.

In past years, it hadn't really been a problem - she had a few items of clothing from each year and pooled them until she had a fairly decent wardrobe, but this year as Lily said, she had grown. _In a multitude of places, _she thought, glancing down at her chest with a grimace. The end result was that the only clothing she had was what her father had been forced to buy her after her old things stopped fitting - and it might work in Spain, but was hardly fit for fall in Scotland. Her current jeans and long-sleeved shirt left much to be desired in terms of warmth, and the wind cut straight through them. In acknowledgement of this, she had donned her school robe, but even that didn't help much.

The only item on her body really worth something was her boots - genuine leather harness boots, they were bought for her mother before she died when she was much younger, and it was fortunate that her feet had remained much the same size. Scuffed and worn they may now be, they were possible the favorite thing that she owned.

"Are you really wearing a _school robe?"_ Sirius asked incredulously, walked side by side with his arm over Louise.

"Yes," Rose huffed.

"But - "

"Oh look, the village!" Louise interrupted. Having lived with her for the past five years, she was more than aware of the state of Rose's wardrobe, and new her proud Spanish friend would not appreciate having her face rubbed in it.

Louise and Charlotte dragged their respective boyfriends off to Madam Puddifoot's, having planned a double date. The two remaining friends snickered as the boys grumbled but acquiesced.

Book lovers both, they spent over an hour in Tomes and Scrolls, after which they wandered into Honeydukes. As per usual, Rose didn't buy anything, but Lily bought extra, and she always shared. Realizing that it was time to meet Louise and Charlotte in The Three Broomsticks are they had agreed, they set off in that direction.

"Looks like we're here early," Lily said, craning her head around in search of the couples and not seeing them. "Why don't you go find us a table, and I'll get a couple of butterbeers."

She nodded, and the girls went their seperate ways. Fortunately, finding a table wasn't too hard, and she sat in a rather cozy one set off in a corner. Turning, she found Lily, ready to wave if the redhead needed help finding her.

Lily, however, was otherwise engaged. She stood, leaning against the bar casually, the two butterbeers in her hand, talking to an incredibly handsome bloke that Rose believed to be from Hufflepuff.

"All by yourself?" Turning, she saw Louise grinning at her, with Sirius right behind her. The two sat down, and Rose shook her head.

"Lily's just getting some drinks," she told them, just as Charlotte came over with Barnabus.

"Sounds like a good idea," Barnabus said, shedding his coat and draping it across the back of his chair. "Butterbeer, Charlotte?" When she nodded, the Ravenclaw leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips, and set off for the bar.

"I believe that's my cue as well," Sirius said dryly. "Same, Louise?"

"Yes, thanks," the petite girl responded, and Sirius leaned down and gave her a kiss - it wasn't a quick kiss, as Barnabus' had been, but rather a lingering and deep one that made the girls watching uncomfortable and lasted until the who pub began hooting and whistling at them.

Sirius straightened, bowed toward the crowed, and sauntered off, a pep in his step.

"I take it that's going well, then?" Charlotte said, tone wry.

"As well as can be," Louise replied with a grin, taking a compact out of her bag and fixing her lipgloss. "We don't talk much, but then who dates Sirius for the conversation?"

"So you mostly snog, I take it," Rose said, and Louise smiled mischeviously.

"And it is a _great_ snog, let me tell you."

"Who's a great snog?" Lily asked, settling in and placing a butterbeer in front of Rose.

"Sirius," she intoned as the redhead sat beside her.

"Or possible that bloke you were chatting with," Louise continued, leaning in as if sharing a secret. "Tell us."

"Abram Ackerly, Hufflepuff. Fifth year, like us," she replied.

"I knew he was Hufflepuff," Rose said. Taking a sip of her butterbeer, she just about melted in satisfaction. There was nothing better on a cold day than a warm butterbeer. The warmth of it just seemed to seep into your bones, and warming charms could really only do so much.

"He's quite handsome, isn't he?" Louise said, her head swiveling to stare at him.

"Aw, thanks, dove," Sirius interjected, sitting down with a smirk. "I appreciate it, but really, you don't have to remind me every five seconds."

Louise rolled her eyes. "Whatever you think, Sirius."

Sirius pressed his hand to his chest, feigning hurt.

"What's the plan, then, girls?"

"The plan for _us_ is to go shopping in Gladrags. I don't know what the plan for you boys is," Louise teased.

Sirius huffed in indignation, "And after I bought you butterbeers, too!"

Charlotte laughed, "Excuse me, but Barnabus bought _my_ butterbeer, and Lily bought Rose's, so you can't argue that."

Cocking his head to the side, Sirius shrugged. "True, although Ruiz over there looks like she's in need of another one." The girl in question flushed and hunched her shoulders, her hands still wrapped around the empty mug, uncomfortable to be the sudden center of attention. "What do you say, Ruiz? If I buy you a butterbeer, you'll take my side, right?"

A full butterbeer appeared in front of her suddenly, and Remus sat down. "Not likely, Sirius," he told his dark haired friend, taking a sip of his own drink.

"Moony, you stole my comrade! My compatriot!" he whined

Remus laughed and shook his head, patting Rose on the back. "Drink up, Rose. You look like you could use it."

Muttering her thanks, she did as Remus requested.

In the end, the ladies went to Gladrags, and the boys ended up joining James and Peter at Zonko's. They may have gone there to discuss costumes, but naturally, the conversation ended up drifting toward the upcoming ball.

"Oooh, look at this!" Louise gasped, holding up a pale yellow frock.

"That would look great on you, Louise," Rose told her. "Here, what do you think?" she asked, holding up a ball gown with a full tulle skirt.

"Very pretty," Charlotte said, "though how you'll dance in it I just don't know."

Rose giggled. "Well, it's very likely I won't even have a date, so I daresay you won't have to worry about that."

Lily gasped. "Don't say that! You'll find someone. Why on earth wouldn't you?"

"Lils, I'm not exactly. . ."

Lily put her arms on her hips, green eyes flashing. "Not exactly what?" She put down the dress she was holding, gripped her dark haired friend's arm, and unceremoniously dragged her over to the mirrors. "Show me, Rose. What exactly is wrong with you? You're gorgeous."

The other two girls came over, supporting the redhead's opinion.

"Look how beautiful your hair is!" Louise said, reaching out to touch a curl. "Do you need to know what I would have to do to get my hair to look like this?"

Rose shrugged. "I just. . . I'm not pretty, not like you guys."

Charlotte shook her head at her friend. "You've got to stop thinking like that. Sure, you may have been awkward, but that was a few years ago. You've grown into a beautiful girl, Rose. Don't kid yourself."

Lily nodded. "Stop selling yourself short. You're gorgeous. Maybe you're a little quiet, but you're kind, and you're smart."

When Rose opened her mouth to disagree, Louise interrupted her. "You're a potions whiz, Rose. Why do you think no one else has the same business going as you do? It's because no one _can._"

Lily nodded again. "You have gorgeous hair, and the best figure." The Spaniard turned to stare at her slender, willowy friend in shock. How she'd wished to look like that, and not what she had.

As if reading her mind, the redhead glared at her. "You're curvy, Rose. Not many of us Brits can claim a figure like that. It's pure, feminine sex appeal, straight and simple."

Charlotte nodded, "And then there's that accent."

Rose's nose wrinkled as if she smelled something foul. "Really, you guys? My _accent?" _

"Yes!" Lily snapped. "You're adorable, okay? Get used to it."

Louise grinned, "And men love accents just as much as we do."

Rose laughed and shook her head. "Can we just get back to looking at dresses? Please?"

Lily looked ready to argue further, but she was preempted when her curly-haired friend quickly strode away from the mirror.

In the end, none of the girls bought a dress, although they all made note of several possibilities. They met up with the boys of Gryffindor for the walk back up to the castle. The boy from the Three Broomsticks had found them, and was chatting up Lily, oblivious to the death glares he was receiving from James.

Unfortunately, as both Louise and Charlotte were preoccupied with their own boyfriends, this left Rose on her own, shivering in the bitter breeze. The crunch of snow behind her was her only warning before a jacket settled around her shoulders, and she looked up into the laughing eyes of Remus.

"You look like you need it more than I do."

"But. . . Aren't you cold?" she asked him, frowning.

"Nah," he said, "I run warm at the best of times, to be honest with you."

"Oh. Well thank you then."

"You're welcome."

She stared after him as he ran to catch up with James and Peter.

* * *

_There we are! I hope you enjoyed it._

_I have made an accompanying blog - an idea I admit I fell in love with and have shamelessly stolen from ohlookitsmara. If you guys haven't read her story yet, you definitely should, it's wonderful._

_Anywho, the blog is still very much in progress, much like this story, but you can find extras (like the contents of Rose's note to Remus and pictures of the characters) there. Just head on over to .com_

_Many thanks,_

_KiwiChookie_


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